KYTC reminds drivers of highway hazards from roving deer | News

GRAVES COUNTY, KY (KFVS) - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has issued a reminder for drivers across the region to be on the lookout for deer crossing the roads, especially near dawn or dusk when visibility is the lowest.

KYTC says it is entering the peak of deer mating season which generates an uptick in car-deer collisions on state highways. They say about half of all deer-car collisions are reported in the last three months of the year.

KYTC District 1 Spokesman Keith Todd says a check of deer collisions reported from 2010 provides some perspective on what drivers are facing.  A review of police crash reports indicates Hopkins County and Henderson County top the list of Western Kentucky counties with the most deer-vehicle collisions.

“Hopkins County was the leader by far with 133 reported deer collisions. Henderson County came in second with 69, followed closely by Daviess and Muhlenberg,” said Todd. “Our other counties with high numbers include Christian, Marshall and Graves.”

Todd said that most people think rural counties with high deer populations would have a higher number of car-deer collisions. However, the heavier car count numbers in some of the more urban counties generate a higher likelihood that cars and deer will be competing for the same space out on area highways.

During mating season, Todd says deer can find their way into subdivisions and even to commercial areas by following streams and other areas unoccupied by humans.

Todd urges drivers to report all collisions with deer to police. Based on the number of deer highway crews find along area highways, traffic engineers believe a lot of collisions go unreported. Todd said it is important to report these to police to provide highway safety engineers with accurate information.

KYTC says Kentucky averages about three highway deaths each year attributed to deer. In 2010 there were 3,106 total collisions with deer reported in Kentucky, which resulted in four deaths and 166 injuries.

The cabinet reports that in 2010 there were 54 crashes involving deer in Graves County.

Other deer crashes by county include:

• Ballard - 10
• Calisle - 3
• Calloway -
• Fulton - 3
• Marshall - 52
• McCracken - 19

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 150 people are killed across the nation each year in car accidents involving deer.

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